@ClemsonWBB Holds on for 56-52 Win Over Creighton

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Clemson women’s basketball team took down 2013 NCAA Tournament participant Creighton, 56-52, in the second game of the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday night. Clemson (7-4) got 22 points and nine rebounds off the bench from senior Quinyotta Pettaway, and improved to 5-0 when holding an opponent below 55 points this season.  The Tigers held the Jays to a 5-25 (.200) mark from behind the arc and blocked six shots en route to the win in the first meeting all-time between the programs.  Charmaine Tay added 11 points, including a pair of late mid-range jumpers to help put the game away, while Chelsea Lindsay had four assists to lead the squad. Her pass to set up Pettaway with 1:43 remaining as the shot clock expired was arguably the play of the game.  Clemson led the game wire-to-wire, and led by as many as 12 in the first half. Creighton trimmed the lead to three with two minutes to play with the ball, but the Tigers came up with consecutive stops on the defensive end to close out. Clemson will close play in the Duel in the Desert on Saturday at 8:00 pm EST against Oregon State (7-3). The game will be broadcast live on WCCP FM and free video is available at TGVN.tv.  Oregon State lost to Creighton, 70-62, on Thursday, but defeated the host UNLV Rebels, 68-60, on Friday night.  Player of the Game: Quinyotta Pettaway – The senior had 22 points and 9 rebounds, two of which came on the defensive end in the final minute of play Stat of the Game: 30 – A game after going to the line a season-low two times on Thursday, Clemson went to the line a season-high 30 times on Friday Individual Notes:

• Kelly Gramlich earned her third start of the season after scoring 49 points and hitting 15 three-pointers over the last two games. However, she was held without a three-point goal for the first time in five games
• Quinyotta Pettaway had 11 points in each half in the game. It was her third double-figure scoring game of the season and 33rd of her career. Her 22 points were a season-high
• Nikki Dixon took a charge with 11:51 to play in the second half. It was her third charge taken of the season and 19th of her career
• Sade Chatman tied a career-best nine points on 4-5 (1-2 FT) shooting, and had three steals

Team Notes:

• This was the first meeting between Creighton and Clemson in each school’s history
• The Tigers had 12 turnovers, the seventh time in the last eight game that they have committed fewer than 20
• Creighton went to the 2nd round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. They are the second team that Clemson has beaten this season that advanced in the most recent tournament, including the win at South Florida on Nov. 24. 

Audra Smith Quotes: “I’m proud of the way we hung in in the second half and  kept the lead and our composure. I knew we had to do something different to shake this Creighton team up because they run their offense so efficiently, so I said ‘hey, we’re going to press.’ We haven’t really practiced the press, and you could tell because a couple of times we were beat long, but at least it was enough to rattle them and give them some different looks.”  “We did a really good job offensively of controlling each possession, and taking good care of the basketball and getting to the line. I emphasized before the game that we needed to penetrate and attack them off the bounce. But, the defense is really what got it done for us. To hold this team to 52 points was awesome. I’m proud of the defensive effort and how we played defensively and obviously Quinyotta Pettaway was the answer for us offensively tonight.”  Social Recap: [<a href=”//storify.com/ClemsonTigers/clemson-v-creighton-dec-20-2013″ mce_href=”//storify.com/ClemsonTigers/clemson-v-creighton-dec-20-2013″ target=”_blank”>View the story “Clemson v. Creighton (Dec. 20, 2013)” on Storify</a>]